Bangalore: A peek at the new Mayor's first day

BANGALORE: It was a day of seeking blessings for the newly-elected Mayor D Venkatesha Murthy on Friday. On the first day of assuming office, the mayor sought the blessings of his political bosses and also of divine forces. The mayor began his day by seeking divine blessings at Sri Kalikamba Temple in Katriguppe (his constituency). Later, he drove straight to Anugraha to meet his political boss Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda.From there, he went to meet his mentor, the person behind making him the first citizen, State BJP president K S Eshwarappa at Jagannath Bhavan. After that, he visited Ramanuja Mutt to meet Niranjananandapuri Swamiji of Kaginele and later Balagangadharanatha Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri Mutt in Vijayanagar.During his brief visit to the BBMP office, he inspected the central office and instructed officials to keep the premises clean. He also paid a visit to the public toilet on Palike premises which was not only locked but also in a pathetic condition. The officials concerned were instructed to open the toilets and keep them neat and tidy.When contacted, Murthy said he had also called an introduction meeting with officials. I got to know that Sirsi Circle flyover has been closed for repair work. However, due to some technical problem, work has been delayed. I have ordered officials to open the flyover till it resumes repair work. It is not good to close it unnecessarily when there is no work, he said. He also said that he will call for a meeting with officials from various departments. When asked about the Mayors helpline, Murthy said that it is expected to start by the end of May. It will be near my chamber. We are working on it, he said.